Subject: Role of the
Leesburg Airport Advisory Board (AAB) in the overall operation and management
of Leesburg International Airport.

The role of the Leesburg Airport
Advisory Board (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Leesburg Regional
Airport Authority) and the Board’s various duties and responsibilities can be
found in Part II, Chapter 2, Article IV, Division 9, Sections 2-161 through
2-164 of the Leesburg Code of Ordinances. A copy of these four sections is
attached for reference.

Section 2-163(a) of the City’s Code of
Ordinances includes the following language:

“The board shall advise
the city manager or designee, and report to the city commission on a periodic
basis concerning all matters affecting the Leesburg Regional Airport, including
but not limited to safety, security, emergency planning, airspace, runway
protection zone encroachments, capital improvements projects, hangar
construction and operation, businesses operating at the airport, and
coordination with the state aviation system plan, the Federal Aviation
Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the St. Johns River
Water Management District, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the board of
county commissioners of Lake County and such other planning and coordination
efforts as may be necessary to the safe, efficient and proper operation,
maintenance and expansion of the Leesburg Regional Airport.”

Out of what City staff sees as a sincere desire
and enthusiasm to improve the appearance and use of Leesburg International
Airport, coupled with the Airport Advisory Board’s interpretation of its duties
and responsibilities as delineated within Section 2-163(a), there has
unfortunately developed a certain amount of overlap between staff's operational
responsibilities and the Board's advisory role to the City Commission with regards
to Airport planning, priorities and projects.

Partly to address this issue the City
Commission and the Airport Advisory Board have scheduled a joint meeting for
October 4, 2012. Among the topics of discussion expected to be covered by the
City Commission and the Airport Advisory Board are the Board’s role in the
operation and management of the Airport.

To assist the City Commission and the Airport
Advisory Board in this dialogue, staff researched approximately 10 different
Airports in the Central Florida area which are similar in size and scope of
operations to Leesburg International Airport. Approximately half of these
airports employ appointed Advisory Boards (the others were typically governed
by Authorities). The duties and responsibilities of the Advisory Boards at
the airports that have them (Ocala, Ormond Beach, Flagler Beach &
Kissimmee) were compared with those of Leesburg’s Airport Advisory Board, and
the results of this study were used to prepare some suggested revisions to the
sections of the City’s Code of Ordinances which govern the make-up and
functioning of the Airport Advisory Board.

Staff welcomes the City Commission and the
Airport Advisory Board to review the revised language, and discuss with us your
thoughts and suggestions on how each party can work cooperatively to serve the
users and tenants of Leesburg International Airport.